[MLS] A Joseph Ngwenya hat trick and a goal by U.S. forward Charlie Davies propelled D.C. United to a 5-1 win over the Canadian U-20 team Monday in the first preseason game for the MLS team.

Ngwenya scored a hat trick in the first 21 minutes and Davies, who had set up Ngwenya for a rebound goal with a powerful shot that was saved, netted United’s fourth goal four minutes before halftime from an assist by playmaker Branko Boskovic. Andy Najar rounded out the scoring for United 10 minutes into the second half and Troy Pennycooke scored for the U-20s with 20 minutes remaining.

Head coach Ben Olsen started two entirely different lineups for the first and second halves except for goalkeeper Steve Cronin and Davies, who stayed on the field until Chris Pontius replaced him in the 74th minute. Boskovic earned his third assist of the game when he slipped a through pass that Davies controlled with his first touch and fired into the net.

“It felt great to have my first competitive game with the guys, I'm starting to feel more and more like myself,” Davies told dcunited.com. He is on a week-long trial during which D.C. United will evaluate him for a possible  year-long loan from French club Sochaux. “I feel like I am taking positive steps forward to get back into form, and today was a good result for the team.”

Said Ngwenya, who was picked by D.C. United as the first selection in Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft Dec. 8, “It was good to get out there and play for 45 minutes, and scoring goals is always fun. The first was because of a good ball from Branko, and the second goal was great work from Charlie. I had good service all day.”

Starting centerback Dejan Jakovic is with the Canadian national team, which plays a friendly against Greece Wednesday.

D.C. United lineups
First half:  Cronin, Zayner, Brasesco, Kitchen, Woolard, Quaranta, Morsink, McCarty, Boskovic, Ngwenya, Davies.
Second half: Cronin, Korb, James, Shanosky, Burch, Najar, Simms, King, Barklage, Wolff, Davies (Pontius 74).